Release My Devotion
by Heaven'Screw
Summary: [ Collections of vignettes: NejiTen ] Whichever way they were seen, it was the ways of releasing their devotion that mended them free.  Their bond was no any other.


_**Do not own the series.**_

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**Summary: **It was the ways of releasing their devotion that mended them free. Their bond was no any other.

**Pairing:** NejiTen

**Collection:** Various vignettes of relationships, whichever way they are seen.

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**Release My Devotion**

_Thank You_

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"_Not_ right now, Lee," Tenten grumbled under her breath as her green clad teammate started towards her.

"But, Tenten, our lovely budding Flower of Youth―" Lee begun to protest.

"Blah, blah, I said _NO_ and that's final!" Tenten said shaking her head furiously, picking up her pace, obviously passing her other teammate; Hyuuga Neji, who was amused by the sudden speed that passed him.

Lee, who had the biggest amount of perseverance among all, followed his female teammate also passing the Hyuuga Prodigy (who was supposedly the leader of the current mission).

Right, Team Gai (minus Gai) was on their way back to Konoha from a mission to the Mist Village. It was a simple A-rank mission that could be easily completed by a three-man cell team. The team had to retrieve a lost hidden treasure of Konoha, buy Tsunade the latest Sake, and assassinate a group of enemy Mist Nins. The trip took two days, including the breaks they had, and the mission itself took three days to complete (in need for information and such). Now, they were heading back to their village with no breaks taken yet.

It took them some effort, of course, to complete the mission. In spite of that, right now Lee was pestering ― in Tenten's case ― the sole female teammate of Team Gai. And right now, Tenten could blow up steam any moment soon.

"Come on, Tenten! I know you are getting tired, our flower! Therefore, I shall offer you a piggyback ride!" Lee said with too much enthusiasm.

Tenten almost cried out in annoyance, "Please, please, _please_, Lee! For the last time, I DO NOT need a piggyback ride!"

"But my dear beautiful blossoming Flower of Youth, surely you said you are getting tired!" kept on a very anxious-looking Lee.

"Yes, yes, Lee! I _am_ getting tired! But seriously, no matter how much my gawky legs are _aching_, I don't need a piggyback ride!" protested an annoyed Tenten, almost losing track of her chakra controlling. From behind, she could practically feel a smirking Hyuuga Neji, thus she emphasized the word 'aching'. It was true that her legs could collapse anytime now, but what's worse was that she's also going to lose track of her chakra control, yet she's stuck with a carbon-copy teammate and a conceited prodigy.

"Are you sure, my lovely Tenten?" asked a worried-struck Lee.

Tenten cursed under her breath, being immune to the innocent look of her green-clad teammate. She said in a trying-hard soft voice, "Yes, Lee. I am. Besides I could handle myself you know?"

Lee grinned, his tooth shining; an old manner indeed, "Yes, my flower! That is the burning shining Power of Youth!"

Tenten smiled weakly, "Thanks, Lee." She continued with a tired sigh, "If only a certain _someone_ would be considerate enough to think of _his_ gawky, vulnerable dear teammate."

Lee blinked at her, "Who, my Tenten?"

Tenten rolled her eyes with fake dismay, "Unfortunately―"

And suddenly, obviously without warning, her eyes widened as she felt a quick warning throughout her body. With her running pace so swift, she did not realize that her left foot slipped on the tree branch; not until she felt the sharp stinging pain on her ankle, the bark of the branch sticking out, leaving a long ― but nothing serious ― cut.

With swift reflexes, she tried to flip and land on another branch, but found that the sudden stinging pain caused her to lose control of her chakra. Momentarily, she thought she was going to fall ― shutting her eyes then ― casually but instead, she felt herself being left up hastily by a pair of firm and secure arms, which she found were not so _unfamiliar_.

"Our dear blooming frail flower!" Tenten heard Lee's panic-toned voice.

Instantly, she thought, _Ugh, I knew it…Lee caught me…. Sheesh, gotta thank him._

Slightly filled with wooziness, her eyes heavily fluttered open, "Ugh…Thanks, Lee―"

And her gentle dark orbs met different pale ones; ones she did _not_ expect.

"W-What the―?" Tenten's eyes flew open at once, taking a better look of her 'savior', "Neji?"

Much to her luck, the one who caught her was none other than Neji. She stared up at him with unbelieving eyes. _His_ arms were the firm and secure, _familiar_ ones.

"Who was the _someone_ you were talking about?" Neji met her eyes amusedly, his lips turning upwards into a smirk as he looked down at her, "Ms. I-could-handle-myself?"

Promptly, Tenten flushed with embarrassment, ignoring the question, and glared, "W-Whatever."

"Hmm…you're welcome my _gawky vulnerable dear teammate_," Neji said, his voice dropping mockingly, that it made Tenten want to smack him across the head. Unfortunately, she could not. His face unconsciously ― perhaps purposely ― neared hers, she could feel his cold breath on her flushed cheeks, also brushing stands of framing hair.

Lee, who was too ignorant to pay attention, ruined the little moment and worriedly asked, "Tenten, our flower, are you alright?!"

Tenten angled her head towards him and smiled gratefully, "Yes, Lee, I am. Thanks for asking."

Lee nodded as eagerly as ever, "If it wasn't for Neji-kun, I couldn't have caught you! He was really fast, my flower!"

There was an amount of silence from Tenten.

"My flower?" asked Lee curiously.

Recovering, Tenten responded, "Right…. Thank you, Neji."

Lee once again smiled widely and proceeded ahead, "Let us go, my youthful friends!"

"Uh…yeah, Lee," Tenten managed to say awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably in Neji's arms ― making it seem she was snuggling, despite to Neji's joy. Narrowing her eyes, she said, "Neji, you can put me down now."

Ignoring her comment, Neji held her in his arms, bridal-style, and leaped from tress to tress, alongside Lee.

Tenten blinked, the cool breeze tickling her face, Neji's scent filling her nostrils, and _his_ warmth enveloping her, and…and.

_Oh dear lord, _she thought, her face suddenly turning differently warm.

"Neji, put me DOWN!" she exclaimed, trying to wiggle her way out of her irresistible teammate's arms.

He simply looked down at her and once again, gave her his trademark smirk, "Don't worry, we'll take a break."

She stared up at him with an expression between embarrassment and angriness. "I-I'm not worrying. Besides I don't need a break!"

Neji glanced at her, then to her wounded ankle, "Of course."

"I said I _don't _need a break, Neji!" protested a stubborn Tenten.

Neji sighed sharply and motioned Lee to stop, telling him they were taking a break. Once Lee and he stopped, Neji set her gently, in a very unusual action that Tenten did not think he possessed, on the ground. She huffed and was about to snatch herself away from his grasp, when he grabbed her arm to support her.

Tenten flinched, "I'm fine, you know?"

"Hn," a humble response came from Neji.

Lee, after looking-out the area they were in, looked at them from over his shoulder, "My flower, Neji-kun! I will get some woods and set up the burning flames of YOUTH!"

Tenten sweat dropped but answered gratefully, "Thanks, Lee!"

And Lee went off to find woods to set up his flaming youth.

After watching the mini-me Gai go, Neji turned to Tenten, "I'll set up the tent. We'll stay over the night and continue tomorrow."

Tenten blinked at him, her smile fading away, "Really? I'll help then."

Neji shook his head, "After we cleaned off your wound, you will take a rest."

Before the Weapon-Mistress could protest, the Hyuuga Prodigy swung her left arm around his shoulder and begun leading her to the nearby tree, bringing her into a sitting position and leaning her against it comfortably.

"Neji, I really am―" Tenten started.

She was interrupted when Neji shot a hand up. He said, "It's alright, Tenten."

For a moment, Tenten hesitated, but she gave a sigh and a small smile then. "Alright, Neji."

"Let me see your ankle," Neji more like demanded.

Tenten simply complied and let Neji examine her wounded ankle. The cut was long and bleeding pretty badly, but it was nothing deep or serious. The prodigy reached for his pack and held out a medical kit.

He looked at her, "Do you have any ointment we could use?"

Tenten nodded, slowly reaching for her own pack. "It's here."

Neji took her pack and held out a medicinal ointment. Before he applied it to her, he gave a small warning, "This may sting."

Tenten only gave a reassuring smile and said, "It's fine." However, she cringed slightly just as the cool feeling of the ointment touched her skin, along with Neji's warm rough hands.

After Neji applied some ointment on her injured ankle, he reached out from his pack and took out some bandages, which he covered the wound with. His movements were soothing, easing and gentle that it made Tenten wonder how such rough hands of battle could move so smoothing. He was serious and quiet, taking his time to finish his work, done neatly and complete. As he finished, he patted her ankle gently, his fingers wrapping around it loosely before meeting her eyes with his.

"It should be healed in a couple of minutes," he stated.

"Um…thank you again, Neji," Tenten said slowly, feeling his hand drawing away from her ankle, but his touch lingering.

There was a pause from her teammate before he spoke again. This time, an honest expression was written all over his features, "You've thanked me enough."

A smile crossed its way to Tenten's crimson lips, "Then I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be for," he replied genuinely, "I wanted to."

Tenten nodded and bit her lower lip. After a pause, she carefully said, "Just…really, Neji. Thank you. You've done enough too, as well as Lee and Gai-sensei. I hope I could give as much. I mean, I try."

Neji couldn't help but give a slight smirk, "And it's _my_ turn." _To give._

With such an unexpected answer, Tenten's eyes widened as they stared back at Neji's intense ones.

Slowly, and without warning at all, he bent down to her ear, but careful enough to give enough space between their bodies. He whispered lowly, "You could've told me."

Tenten colored madly as she realized what he meant. She was not quite sure what he meant, but sure she was really tired awhile ago and wanted to shout out she needed a break, but she definitely did not want to be a burden for their team. She was positively better than that and she knew it; her team knew that too ― at least they should.

As if knowing what she was thinking, Neji said, "You'll never be a burden, Tenten."

Still, there was a significant meaning of what Neji just said, which Tenten could not quite figure out. Yet, perhaps.

She paused for a moment before smiling up at him. Her lips curved elegantly that it made Neji want to think ― though he does ― she was still a woman; a wonderful young woman who possess a sole smile that outshines the sun and among other stars.

"I will next time. I really owe you," she said, her voice filling with certainty, "A lot. Lee too and Gai-sensei, of course."

"That I know," Neji responded a little friskily.

Somehow, he wanted to think Tenten will give him more than he could expect, but for now it did not matter. His lips turned upwards of what you call a smile, but merely slightly and noticeable enough ― and it seemed like it was only Tenten who sees so.

Both of them sat across each other in silence, waiting for their other teammate to come back, before setting the camp. Their eyes, dark and pale, would meet eventually, and unbeknownst to them ― yet ― an unspoken promise was transferred to the other.

It turned out that there was more to their simple _thank yous_.


End file.
